[WASHINGTON, D.C.] — Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN), a member of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission), and Congressman John Shimkus (R-IL), Co-Chair of the House Baltic Caucus and member of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, introduced a bipartisan resolution today expressing strong support for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the countries of Eastern Europe. The resolution recognizes that NATO remains the most important and critical security link between the United States and Europe. It also recognizes the United States’ strong commitment to the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and democratic development of the countries that have emerged from the former Soviet Union, including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldova. A copy of the resolution can be found here.

“NATO is critical to the safety and security of the United States and our European allies,” said Congressman Cohen. “Over the past 70 years, NATO has been an indispensable force for promoting democracy and stability in Europe. Many former-Soviet Eastern European countries have undertaken considerable political and economic reforms necessary to achieve aspirations for European integration, yet Russia has threatened the sovereignty of these nations. In these uncertain times, our friends in Eastern Europe must not be left behind. Our bipartisan resolution reaffirms the importance of harmony and stability rather than war and conflict and acknowledges NATO’s pivotal role in achieving such goals. The United States must stand alongside NATO and our Eastern European allies just as they have done for us in the Western Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere.”

“NATO has done more to preserve the peace and security in Europe than any other institution,” said Congressman Shimkus. “The alliance has thrived for many decades amid political swings from left to the right and back again in virtually every member country. But even as national leaders have come and gone, NATO has remained steadfast in its mission to provide security for all its members and it must continue to be that guarantee for future generations.”